“All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
Such encouraging verses today. Our suffering isn’t pointless; it tests our faith, it conforms us to Christ’s likeness, it matures us—and it gives us a special opportunity to witness to others and build them up.
Have you ever cried out to God for comfort in a time of trial—sickness, grief, marriage issues, financial woes, oppression from enemies—and he answered you in a practical way? Maybe a friend called you up or your neighbor brought you a meal. Maybe an unexpected check arrived in the mail at just the right time. Maybe your pastor suggested a book that spoke directly to your issue. Those are all ways that God answers our cries for comfort.
I’ll bet the most comforting help you received is from someone who had experienced the same trial in the past. You don’t have to explain the whole story to this person; they understand just what you’re going through. They can listen and cry with you in a way that others can’t quite replicate. Isn’t it wonderful to know that God provides people to help us through our difficult times?
You are also one of those people! Think about the trials you’ve faced—write a list. Everything on your list can help someone going through the same thing. Some of the things on my list are: being a child of divorce, depression, codependency, marriage problems, financial difficulty, and being overweight. As I wrote in yesterday’s post, if I write out my faithwalk and remember how God has helped me with those issues, I have a testimony to share with others struggling with the same thing. It takes courage and authenticity to share my problems, but in doing so, I can help people, and that is such a gratifying way to recycle the pain.
Take some time today to list some ways you can comfort others based on the troubles you’ve faced.
If you are facing a trial right now and you feel alone, what steps can you take to find someone who has experienced what you are going through?
Copyright 2009
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trials. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Psalm 35:27
“But give great joy to those who have stood with me in my defense. Let them continually say, ‘Great is the Lord, who enjoys helping his servant.’”
In the first 26 verses of this psalm, David writes about his enemies and asks God for help. Today’s verse shifts the focus from his enemies to his defenders. He has an unselfish desire that his friends would see God’s greatness in his trial.
This summer I read the book 90 Minutes in Heaven. I was surprised that most of the book did not describe the pastor’s mystical experience, but his long and grueling recovery process after a terrible auto accident. After several months he was finally able to return home from the hospital. Eventually he returned to his church to the first time as a visitor, confined to a wheelchair and still in severe pain. He really would have preferred to stay home; he was still feeling sorry for himself. As his family wheeled him to the front of church, the whole congregation clapped for a long time. In the midst of this feel-good moment, God whispered to him, “They aren’t clapping for you.”
It takes humility and maturity for us to realize our most difficult trials aren’t only about us—they are custom-designed for others to see God’s glory. This kind of maturity comes from experience of trial after trial in the Christian faith. But it is truly developed as we take time to get to know God personally, and learn about who he is through individual study of his Word.
I am right in the middle of a trial that seems pointless from a human perspective. But because I have drawn closer to the Lord during this trial and I’ve studied how Jesus handled unfair situations, God has helped me see how my trial can give both friends and enemies an opportunity to see Christ working through me. My part of the trial is to pray for my enemies and put on the attitude of Jesus, and also to give God the glory in front of my friends so they will say “Great is the Lord, who enjoys helping his servant Sarah.” Not “Sarah’s so great at handling this” but “Great is the Lord who works in Sarah’s life.”
How can you give God glory for your trial today? And will you tell at least one friend about it, so they can give God praise too?
Copyright 2009
In the first 26 verses of this psalm, David writes about his enemies and asks God for help. Today’s verse shifts the focus from his enemies to his defenders. He has an unselfish desire that his friends would see God’s greatness in his trial.
This summer I read the book 90 Minutes in Heaven. I was surprised that most of the book did not describe the pastor’s mystical experience, but his long and grueling recovery process after a terrible auto accident. After several months he was finally able to return home from the hospital. Eventually he returned to his church to the first time as a visitor, confined to a wheelchair and still in severe pain. He really would have preferred to stay home; he was still feeling sorry for himself. As his family wheeled him to the front of church, the whole congregation clapped for a long time. In the midst of this feel-good moment, God whispered to him, “They aren’t clapping for you.”
It takes humility and maturity for us to realize our most difficult trials aren’t only about us—they are custom-designed for others to see God’s glory. This kind of maturity comes from experience of trial after trial in the Christian faith. But it is truly developed as we take time to get to know God personally, and learn about who he is through individual study of his Word.
I am right in the middle of a trial that seems pointless from a human perspective. But because I have drawn closer to the Lord during this trial and I’ve studied how Jesus handled unfair situations, God has helped me see how my trial can give both friends and enemies an opportunity to see Christ working through me. My part of the trial is to pray for my enemies and put on the attitude of Jesus, and also to give God the glory in front of my friends so they will say “Great is the Lord, who enjoys helping his servant Sarah.” Not “Sarah’s so great at handling this” but “Great is the Lord who works in Sarah’s life.”
How can you give God glory for your trial today? And will you tell at least one friend about it, so they can give God praise too?
Copyright 2009
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